Nanase Nishino as Madoka Akagi in live-action Pokémon drama PokéTsume

Live-action Pokémon drama PokéTsume mines Game Boy nostalgia in its debut trailer

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Detective Pikachu isn’t the only live-action Pokemon offshoot in existence. There’s also a Japanese TV series on the way, but don’t expect to see more CG-animated Pokémon waltzing about in this one. Per Crunchyroll news, Pocket ni Boken o Tsumekonde Pack Your Pockets with Adventure, or PokéTsume for short —is a Pokemon-inspired drama that aims to mine a very specific type of nostalgia. In particular, nostalgia aimed at folks who grew up on the original Game Boy and the first Pokemon games. 

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Madoka Akagi is one such person, and she’s about to rediscover the adventures she loved as a child. She’s currently moving to Tokyo to pursue her ambitions as a creator, and receives something very special during the move. Her family gives her a Game Boy Pocket and Pokemon Red as a parting gift. Since she grew up playing Pokemon, she’s immediately ready to dive back into its world. You can hear those familiar sounds and watch as her work life intermingles with her rekindled love for ‘Mon in the first trailer for the drama. 

Once a game freak

The actor in the role of Madoka is Nanase Nishino. She’s played roles like Hiromi in Shin Kamen Rider, but she has an even better qualification for PokéTsume. She’s a Pokémon fan in real life, so playing someone like Madoka should come naturally.

PokéTsume was created as a collaboration between Pokémon Inc. and TV Tokyo. Its premiere is right around the corner as part of the network’s MokuDora24 slot on October 19. 

Beyond this, there’s also that live-action Pokemon series in the works at Netflix and a Detective Pikachu sequel. It’s been a while since we heard anything about either, so maybe we’re better off firing up our Game Boys like Madoka in the meantime. 


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Joseph Luster
Joseph has been writing about games, anime, and movies for over 20 years and loves thinking about instruction manuals, discovering obscure platformers, and dreaming up a world where he actually has space (and time) for a retro game collection.